The Influence of Tablet Shape and Pan Speed on Intra-tablet Film Coating Uniformity

Four different tablet shapes (round, oval, capsule, and large oval) were coated in a small-scale coating pan at three different pan rotational speeds. The coating film thickness was measured on the top face, the edge of the land, and the belly band of each tablet shape. The results showed that tablet shape directly influences intra-tablet coating uniformity (uniformity decreasing from round, oval, capsule, to large oval). In almost all cases, coating uniformity increased with pan speed.